Dakar Stage 7: Coma Back On Top

Cycle News Staff | January 7, 2012

KTM factory teammates Marc Coma and Cyril Despres continued to play tennis with the stages of the Dakar Rally with Coma winning stage seven today – a 260-mile loop that started and ended in Copiapo, Chile.

Coma gained two minutes and three seconds on Despres in the overall standings, but the Frenchman still leads by 7:48 after seven stages (stage six was cancelled due to inclement weather) as the two continue trade stage wins.

Yamaha’s Helder Rodrigues continues to follow the two KTMs in third place, the Portuguese rider ending up fourth in today’s stage behind Coma, Despres and the Husqvarna of Paolo Goncalves. Goncalves is fourth overall after today’s third-place finish, trailing Rodrigues by some six minutes after being slapped with a six-minute time penalty.

Yamaha’s David Casteu is fifth overall after finishing seventh in today’s stage.